Katie Malco - "Animal"

Photo by Sam Manville

When you first start listening to "Animal," the new single from Katie Malco, you'd be forgiven to expect a mellow, plaintive singer/songwriter track. And then the guitars kick in, and you're being brought on this unexpected ride of alt-rock bliss. "Animal" just straight up rocks, but it's still a deeply personal song for Malco. The song documents her experience in a small industrial town and using substances to escape. As she explains: 

"I couldn’t go home, but being out every night meant drinking or doing drugs every night. Sometimes it was genuinely fun and sometimes I became acutely aware that I was desperately grabbing at something I couldn’t find in my sober life – happiness, stability and a feeling of general ease. There was one night that always sticks out to me in my mind as a real low point because I was being a really bad drunk – embarrassing myself and feeling really unwell – and that’s what Animal is about." 

"Animal" is this great and near-perfect blend of confessional songwriting, while also being a killer rock song. You don't normally get the two together, and that's what has us so excited for her upcoming debut album.

You can listen to "Animal" below. Failures, the upcoming debut album from Katie Malco, is due out June 5 on 6131 Records. You can pre-order the album here. For more on Katie Malco, check out the artist's Facebook and Twitter.